Binding moieties for biofilm remediation

ABSTRACT

Binding agents able to disrupt bacterial biofilms of diverse origin are described, including monoclonal antibodies suitable for administration to a selected species, and antibody mimics including aptamer nucleic acids. Methods to prevent formation of or to dissolve biofilms with these binding agents are also described. Immunogens for eliciting antibodies to disrupt biofilms are also described.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 14/789,842 filed 1 Jul. 2015, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 14/668,767 filed 25 Mar. 2015, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 14/497,147 filed 25 Sep. 2014, which claimed priority from provisional application Ser. No. 61/926,828 filed 13 Jan. 2014. This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 15/042,061 filed 11 Feb. 2016. The contents of these documents are incorporated herein by reference.

SUBMISSION OF SEQUENCE LISTING ON ASCII TEXT FILE

The content of the following submission as ASCII text file is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: a computer readable form (CRF) of the Sequence Listing (file name: 388512013122 SeqList.txt, date recorded: 28 Apr. 2016, size: 65,499 bytes).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to methods and compositions for preventing formation of or achieving dissolution of biofilms that inhibit immune responses and make bacteria resistant to antibiotics. More specifically, it concerns monoclonal antibodies that are derived from human cells or from transgenic animals expressing human antibody genes or that are humanized forms of antibodies native to other species wherein the affinity for a family of proteins that are implicated in the structural integrity of such biofilms exceeds the affinity of these proteins for biofilm components. Monoclonal antibodies in general and other homogeneous binding moieties with this property are also included.

BACKGROUND ART

It is well understood in the art that bacterial infections may lead to formation of biofilms that protect the bacteria from the immune system and lead them to enter a quiescent, slow growth state that makes them resistant to most antibiotics (Donlan, R. M., et al., Clin. Microbiol. Rev. (2002) 15:167-193). The result is persistent, recurrent infections that are very difficult to eliminate. These biofilms include as a major component branched extracellular DNA molecules, whose key role was established by showing that DNAse treatment reduced biofilms (Whitchurch, C. B., et al., Science (2002) 295:1487; Petersen, F. C., et al., J. Bacteriol. (2004) 186:6327). The higher order meshwork structure of the DNA molecules is achieved by specific proteins generally designated DNABII proteins, with homologs found in most bacterial species, including proteins designated as IHF (integration host factor) and HU (histone like protein) (Swinger, K. K., et al., Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. (2004) 14:28-35; Goodman, S. D., et al., Mucosal Immunity (2011) 4:625-637). The substantial homology of these proteins facilitates the cooperative formation of biofilms, a feature that further renders the bacteria problematic from a treatment perspective. Members of this class are known to be present in the extracellular environment (Winters, B. D., et al., Infect. Immun. (1993) 61:3259-3264; Lunsford, R. D., et al., Curr. Microbiol. (1996) 32:95-100; Kim, N., et al., J. Bacteriol. (2002) 184:6155-6162) and are known to force or stabilize bends in DNA, a key feature underlying higher order structure in other contexts (Teter, B., et al., Plasmid (2000) 43:73-84). Mutation of the ihfA gene in E. coli reduced or eliminated biofilm in vitro (Garcia-Contreras, R. (2008) PLoS ONE 3:e2394). The present invention is based on the concept that supplying a binding moiety with sufficiently high affinity for this class of proteins will extract the proteins from the biofilm and thereby provide an effective method of destroying the biofilm by destroying the ability of the protein to bind and hold together the branched DNA. A supplied binding moiety against the DNABII protein may also destroy its ability to bind to other components present in the biofilm.

The binding moieties, of which monoclonal antibodies or fragments thereof are an important embodiment, can be supplied directly to established biofilms or used to coat surfaces to provide an immuno-adsorbent for confining the DNABII protein(s) and thereby suppressing biofilm formation. Applications include treatments of bacterial infections by systemic administration, subcutaneous, topical or inhaled administration, as well as reduction of biofouling that affects pipelines and other industrial equipment. Application to corresponding biofilm associated diseases of animals is also part of the present invention.

PCT publication WO2011/123396 provides an extensive discussion of biofilms and suggests their removal by administering to a subject polypeptides that represent the DNABII protein itself as a whole or in part, thus causing the organism to generate antibodies that can destroy the integrity of the biofilm. This document also suggests, in the alternative, supplying the antibodies themselves, either ex vivo to biofilms that exist outside an organism or to a subject to confer passive protection. Antibodies to other biofilm associated proteins have similarly been used to interfere with biofilms (Sun, D., et al., Clin. Diagn. Lab. Immunol. (2005) 12:93-100; Shahrooei, M., et al., Infect. Immun. (2009) 77:3670-3678; Novotny, L. A., et al., Vaccine (2009) 28:279-289).

The WO2011/123396 PCT application describes the use of polyclonal antibodies generated against a particular DNABII protein (E. coli integration host factor (IHF)) to treat an animal model of the common ear infection (otitis media) and an animal model for periodontal disease. It also describes generating active immunity by providing the protein, or peptides representing the protein to a subject. There is no disclosure of any monoclonal antibodies that are directed to this protein. There is thus no certainty that a single monoclonal antibody can achieve the functionality of the disclosed polyclonal serum. For example, in the case of mAbs to the unrelated biofilm associated AAP protein from Staphylococcus epidermidis, no single mAb was able to reduce biofilm by more than 66% whereas a mAb mixture reduced it by 87% (Sun, D., et al., Clin. Diagn. Lab. Immunol. (2005) 12:93-100). Nor is there any disclosure of monoclonal binding moieties that show cross-species activity against homologs of the IHF/HU protein. Achieving both high affinity and cross-species activity represents a significant obstacle to discovery of a drug addressing diverse indications. The present invention overcomes these obstacles and provides improved agents for passive immunity. The epitopes for two such monoclonal antibodies have been identified at the level of individual amino acids and are disclosed herein. One of these antibodies, TRL1068, was disclosed by the present applicants in PCT application US2014/057771. The non-identical but overlapping epitopes identify a region of the protein that is conformational with regard to the linear sequence of the IHF/HU protein, and thereby identifies favorable conformational features for an immunogen intended to generate an immune response with efficacy for interfering with a biofilm. Identification of the conformational nature of the epitope is also useful in the design of screening reagents for discovery of monoclonal antibodies or other homogeneous agents with biofilm disrupting activity and for affinity purification of such agents.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides homogeneous compositions of binding moieties, such as aptamers, protein mimics of antibodies or monoclonal antibodies or fragments thereof, that are particularly effective in binding DNABII proteins and thus effective in dissolving biofilms. The most significant DNABII proteins are the alpha and beta subunits of IHF and the alpha and beta subunits of HU proteins. In general, gram-positive bacteria have either the HU-alpha subunit or the HU-beta subunit whereas gram-negative bacteria generally have all four. However, there are exceptions—e.g., H. influenzae has three of these but not HU-beta. In the strains described herein, P. aeruginosa has all four of these subunits whereas S. aureus contains only HU-beta.

Thus, the invention in one aspect is directed to a binding moiety such as a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that has affinity for at least one DNABII protein that exceeds the affinity of branched DNA, a component of biofilms, for said protein. Some affinities for non-sequence-specific DNA binding by these proteins are disclosed in Chen, C. et al, Biochem. J. (2004) 383:343-351, Aeling, K. A., et al., J. Biol. Chem. (2006) 281:39236-39248 and Swinger, K. K., et al., J. mol. Biol. (2007) 365:1005-1016. The affinities span a broad range, but have in common the feature of being sufficiently weak that the DNABII protein would be expected to desorb and re-bind to the biofilm over the course of minutes to hours. A high affinity mAb can thereby extract the protein by preventing re-binding, leading to gradual dissolution of the biofilm. Gradual dissolution is useful for avoiding release of large numbers of bacteria at once that could induce a deleterious cytokine storm reaction, and for avoiding release of large fragments of the biofilm that could occlude blood vessels. One class of binding moieties—especially mAb—is that wherein binding is to the conformational epitope in SEQ ID NO:80. It is particularly preferred that any antibodies to be used systemically be compatible with mammalian subjects, especially human subjects or feline, canine, porcine, bovine, ovine, caprine or equine subjects when proposed for use in these subjects. Such native mAbs or mAbs modified to more resemble the selected species—i.e., humanized or “species-ized”—have lower risk of being rejected as foreign proteins, particularly upon repeated administration. Those actually derived from the species of interest have reduced risk of binding to other proteins in the body than mAbs from other sources and thus pose lower toxicity risk. Also preferred is the property of binding with sufficient affinity so as to dissolve or prevent formation of biofilm derived from DNABII proteins originating from at least two different bacterial species. In the case of mAbs, such mAbs may be characterized as an Fv antibody, a bispecific antibody, a chimeric antibody, species-ized antibody or a complete antibody, wherein said complete antibody comprises generic constant regions heterologous to the variable regions thereof.

In some embodiments, the mAbs comprise variable regions encoded by nucleic acid isolated from B cells of a human not immunized with DNABII protein or with a fragment thereof. In some embodiments, the screening is performed by reacting antibodies secreted by said B cells with full-length DNABII protein, especially IHF and/or HU protein.

Specific binding moieties illustrated herein contain at least the CDR regions of the heavy chains, and optionally the light chains of the mAbs TRL1068, TRL1070, TRL1087, TRL1215, TRL1216, TRL1218, TRL1230, TRL1232, TRL1242, TRL1245, TRL1330, TRL1335, TRL1337, TRL1338, TRL1341, TRL1347 and TRL1361. However, other types of binding moieties, such as aptamers, modifications of antibodies such as camel type single-chain antibodies and the like are also included within the scope of the invention. Examples of antibody mimics include scaffolds based on fibronectin, lipocalin, lens crystallin, tetranectin, ankyrin, Protein A (Ig binding domain). Small peptide families may also have antibody-like affinity and specificity, including avian pancreatic peptides and conotoxins. Peptide nucleic acids, and “stapled” (cross-linked) peptides similarly provide the ability to generate high affinity binding agents with well-defined specificity. All of these classes share the property of having a large number of potential binding agents, from which a single homogeneous agent is chosen. Homogeneous agents are preferred drug candidates compared to, for example, polyclonal antisera for both ease of manufacturing and reduced risk of off-target binding activity that could lead to toxicity.

The invention is further directed to a method to treat a biofilm associated with an industrial process by using the binding moieties of the invention either to dissolve biofilms or prevent their formation. In this instance, the species origin of the mAbs is not of concern. These binding moieties may also be applied topically on a subject to dissolve biofilms characteristic of a condition in said subject or to prevent their formation. The binding moieties may also be administered systemically for treatment of biofilms.

Thus, the invention further includes pharmaceutical or veterinary compositions which comprise the binding moiety described above in an amount effective to treat or prophylactically inhibit the formation of biofilm due to infection in animal subjects.

In still other aspects, the invention is directed to recombinant materials and methods to prepare binding moieties of the invention that are proteins, e.g., mAbs, and to improved recombinant methods to prepare DNABII proteins.

In other aspects, the invention is directed to novel expression systems for DNABII proteins to be used as immunogens and to methods to use these DNABII proteins to identify an agent that reverses drug resistance in multiple species of bacteria. In one embodiment, B cells obtained from a human or other mammal not immunized with DNABII protein or fragment thereof are screened by testing the antibodies secreted by said B cells with the full-length protein obtained. Nucleic acid isolated from said cells may then be combined with nucleic acid encoding the relevant constant regions to prepare the mAbs of the invention recombinantly. Alternatively, the variable regions may be prepared as Fv single-chain antibodies, for example.

The invention also relates to specific isolated peptides and peptidomimetics that mimic the conformational epitope defined jointly by studies using TRL1068, TRL1330 and TRL1337, as well as to methods for generating antibodies to DNABII proteins by using these specific peptides or peptidomimetics as immunogens. These peptides may also be used to detect B cells that secrete desired antibodies in individuals that have not been specifically immunized.

Synthetic compounds that mimic the epitope that bind the antibodies of the invention, such as TRL1068, TRL1330 and TRL1337 may also be used to screen libraries of candidate binding moieties to identify those that will successfully dissolve biofilms. The binding moieties may be nucleic acids resulting in suitable aptamers or may be libraries of homologs that can behave as binding moieties such as scaffolds based on ankyrin, tetranectin, and the like.

In still another aspect, the invention is directed to a method to treat human or animal diseases for which biofilm causes drug resistance. Treatments include vaccination with immunogens that mimic the conformational epitope defined by the epitopes for TRL1068, TRL1330 and TRL1337, as well as treating subjects with the resulting sera (or concentrated antigen binding polyclonal antibodies from such sera), or with specific monoclonal antibodies developed from the B cells of such immunized animals. Examples of medical indications include: heart valve endocarditis (for which surgical valve replacement is required in the substantial fraction of cases that cannot be cured by high dose antibiotics due to the resistance associated with biofilm), chronic non-healing wounds (including venous ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers), ear and sinus infections, urinary tract infections, pulmonary infections (including subjects with cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), catheter associated infections (including renal dialysis subjects), subjects with implanted prostheses (including hip and knee replacements), and periodontal disease.

This method is effective in mammalian subjects in general, and thus is also applicable to household pets, including periodontal disease in dogs which is difficult to treat due to biofilm (Kortegaard, H. E., et al., J. Small Anim. Pract. (2008) 49:610-616). Similarly, the invention has utility for treating farm animals, including dairy cattle with mastitis due to bacterial infections (Poliana de Castro Melo, et al., Brazilian J. Microbiology (2013) 44:119-124). For the veterinary indications in particular, hyperimmunization of donor animals provides a cost effective route to large amounts of serum suitable for use in localized delivery to other members of the same animal species, e.g., to the gums for periodontal disease or to the udders for mastitis. Extraction of antigen binding antibodies from serum provides a more concentrated source of antibodies for this purpose. For such extraction, substantial quantities of the DNABII protein are needed, which can be provided by the recombinant production method disclosed herein. Alternatively, mimics of the conformational epitope can be used for such extraction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows ELISA results for various mAbs with respect to binding to a set of overlapping peptides derived from S. aureus DNABII protein, HU-beta, identifying multiple regions susceptible to antibody recognition.

FIG. 2 provides sequences and shows the locations of the empirically defined epitopes of key mAbs of the invention in DNABII (IHF/HU) proteins of various bacterial species SEQ ID NO:81-SEQ ID NO:91.

FIG. 3 shows that the key residues within the empirically defined epitope represented by SEQ ID NO:80 required for binding, as determined by alanine substitution at each residue, reside on an anti-parallel beta sheet conformationally restricted region of the protein.

FIG. 4 shows binding for various mAbs to the full length DNABII protein, HU-beta, from S. aureus.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show the results of ELISA assays to determine affinity of TRL1068 and TRL1330 for biofilm forming proteins derived from different bacterial strains.

FIG. 6A shows Staphylococcus aureus (Sa) biofilm treated for 12 hours with a no antibody control (growth control) or with TRL1068 at 1.2 μg/mL (˜7 nM), a native human mAb against a conserved epitope on DNABII proteins. TRL1068 caused dissolution of the biofilm, as evident at both low (500×) and high (2500×) magnification (scanning electron microscope images). FIG. 6B shows the parallel experiment on Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) biofilm.

FIGS. 7A-7C show the results of ELISA assays to determine affinity of TRL1068 as a function of pH for binding to HU-beta from Staphylococcus aureus and IHF-alpha from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae respectively. As shown, the binding activity is consistent in the range of pH 4.5-pH 7.5 but drops off as the pH is lowered to 3.5 or 2.5.

FIG. 8A shows the reduction in planktonic bacteria (released from the biofilm) and FIG. 8B shows the reduction in adherent bacteria (still retained in the biofilm) following post-infection treatment with TRL1068 in a murine model for established infection on a plastic implant. The mAb treatment combined with a standard antibiotic, daptomycin (DAP) is compared to treatment with DAP alone. Marked reduction in bacterial counts for the combination therapy is evident. TRL1068 was administered systemically at 15 mg/kg or by direct injection into the lumen of the implanted plastic perforated cage. Similar intra-cage antibody concentration was achieved for both routes of administration.

MODES OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The invention includes various binding moieties of a monoclonal or homogeneous nature that can dissolve biofilms. “Monoclonal” means that the binding moieties can form a homogeneous population analogous to the distinction between monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. In one important embodiment, the exemplified binding moieties are mAbs or fragments thereof. In most embodiments, the binding moieties have affinity for at least one DNABII protein in the low nanomolar range—i.e., the Kd is in the range of 10 nM-100 nM including the intervening values, such as 25 nM or 50 nM, but may also be <10 nM or less than 100 pM or less than 40 pM as preferred embodiments.

These affinities should be, in some embodiments, characteristic of the interaction with the biofilm-forming proteins derived from a multiplicity of bacterial species, at least two, three, four or more separate species. In some embodiments, particularly high affinities represented by values less than 100 pM or less than 40 pM are exhibited across at least three species, and in particular wherein these species are Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. However, assurance of binding across multiple species can also be achieved by exhibiting a high affinity with respect to an epitope that is highly conserved across multiple species. As described below, the epitope for both TRL1068 and TRL1330 has been mapped to within residues corresponding to SEQ ID NO:80 of Staphylococcus aureus, HU-beta which is in the most highly conserved part of the protein among bacterial species (FIG. 2).

As noted in the examples below, the invention includes a number of specific antibodies that have been shown to bind with high affinity to various epitopes of Staphylococcus aureus HU-beta. These include, in addition to TRL1068, mAbs designated TRL1070, TRL1087, TRL1215, TRL1216, TRL1218, TRL1230, TRL1232, TRL1245, TRL1330, TRL1335, TRL1337, TRL1338, TRL1341, TRL1347, TRL1361 and antibodies that compete with each of these for binding to a DNABII protein.

For use in treatment of bacterial infection in humans, the binding moieties of the invention should have at least three characteristics in order to be maximally useful: the binding moiety should be compatible with the treated species—e.g., in the case of monoclonal antibodies for treating humans, either human or humanized. The binding moiety should have an affinity for the biofilm-forming DNABII protein that exceeds the affinity of that protein for other components of the biofilm that includes this DNABII protein, and it should be crossreactive across the DNABII homologs from multiple bacterial species, minimally two or three such species including both Gram positive and Gram negative species, but preferably a greater number, such as four, five or six or more.

Similar characteristics are relevant for use of the binding moieties of the invention for treatment of conditions in other species. In this case, the antibodies are compatible with the species in question. Thus, the antibodies may be derived from feline, canine, equine, bovine, caprine, ovine or porcine species or may be adapted from antibodies of other animals. Analogous to “humanized,” these antibodies could be called “species-ized” so that the relevant species is adequately addressed. Alternatively, a functionally restricted polyclonal antibody preparation can be prepared by generation of antibodies in serum of subjects immunized with peptides that mimic the conformational epitope defined by human mAbs TRL1068, TRL1330 and TRL1337, with further narrowing of the specificity accomplished by affinity purification using either intact DNABII protein or an epitope mimic. This approach is more appropriate for veterinary indications than for human use. Hyperimmunization of animals to generate the serum is ethically acceptable, but is not feasible for humans; and the risk of adverse events from a polyclonal antiserum is more acceptable for treatment of animals than for treatment of humans. Indeed, as exemplified below, suitable B cells can be screened for antibodies immunoreactive with full-length DNABII proteins in humans that have not been immunized with either the DNABII protein itself or with a fragment thereof. In addition to antisera per se, specific monoclonal antibodies can be prepared by screening B cells of the subject for secretion of antibodies that are immunoreactive with, for example, the full-length protein in question which contains the epitope from which the mimic was derived. Concurrent screening with more than one DNABII protein can assist in identifying mAbs that show cross-species binding. Nucleic acid contained in successful B cells can then be extracted and used to prepare monoclonal antibodies recombinantly.

As the illustrative antibodies disclosed herein in the examples below contain variable regions that are derived from humans, and constant regions which are cloned independently of said variable regions but are also derived from humans, these antibodies offer particular advantages for repeated use in humans. When the subject to be administered the mAb is non-human, it is advantageous for repeated use to administer native mAbs similarly derived from that species. Alternatively, an equivalent of the human variable regions, optionally fused to an Fc region from the host species to be treated, may be used. This variable region may be, in some embodiments, an Fab portion or a single-chain antibody containing CDR regions from both the heavy and light chains or heavy chain only. Bispecific forms of these variable regions equivalents can also be constructed, with numerous constructs described in the literature. Although the typical “mAb” will be a protein or polypeptide (“proteins,” “polypeptide” and “peptide” are used interchangeably herein without regard to length) for use in subjects, the mAbs may also be supplied via delivery of nucleic acids that then generate the proteins by in situ translation in cells of the subject. In addition, nucleic acid molecules that mimic the binding characteristics of these polypeptides or proteins can be constructed—i.e., aptamers can be constructed to bind molecules that are identified as described below by their ability to mimic the binding moieties. Successful mimicry of these aptamers for the protein-based binding moieties can be verified both biochemically and functionally to confirm that the affinity of the aptamer is sufficient for therapeutic efficacy. In light of the well-defined conformationally constrained region that includes the epitopes for TRL1068, TRL1330 and TRL1337, preparation of such aptamers is straightforward using well established methods (Lin, H., et al., Biomicrofluidics (2014) 8:041501).

In more detail, in one embodiment, the aptamers or other binding moieties such as alternative antibody scaffolds can be identified by screening libraries comprising candidate aptamers or alternative binding moieties with mimics of epitopes that bind, specifically, the mAbs of the invention shown to be successful herein—e.g., TRL1068 or TRL1330. In one embodiment, for example, TRL1068 can itself be used to screen libraries of candidate mimics and compounds that successfully bind TRL1068 can then, in turn, be used to screen libraries of candidate aptamers or alternative binding moieties.

With respect to protein-based monoclonal binding moieties, in addition to typical monoclonal antibodies or fragments thereof that are immunologically specific for the same antigen, various forms of other scaffolding, including single-chain antibody forms such as those derived from camel, llama or shark could be used as well as antibody mimics based on other scaffolds such as fibronectin, lipocalin, lens crystallin, tetranectin, ankyrin, Protein A (Ig binding domain), or the like. Short structured peptides may also be used if they provide sufficient affinity and specificity, e.g., peptides based on inherently stable structures such as conotoxins or avian pancreatic peptides, or peptidomimetics that achieve stable structures by crosslinking and/or use of non-natural amino acids (Josephson, K., et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2005) 127:11727-11725). In general, “monoclonal antibody (mAb)” includes all of the foregoing. As for aptamers, generation of such molecules is straightforward using well established methods.

As used herein, the term “antibody” includes immunoreactive fragments of traditional antibodies even if, on occasion, “fragments” are mentioned redundantly. The antibodies, thus, include Fab, F(ab′)₂, F_(v) fragments, single-chain antibodies which contain substantially only variable regions, bispecific antibodies and their various fragmented forms that still retain immunospecificity and proteins in general that mimic the activity of “natural” antibodies by comprising amino acid sequences or modified amino acid sequences (i.e., pseudopeptides) that approximate the activity of variable regions of more traditional naturally occurring antibodies.

In particular, in the case of embodiments which are monoclonal antibodies, fully human antibodies which are, however, distinct from those actually found in nature, are typically prepared recombinantly by constructing nucleic acids that encode a generic form of the constant region of heavy and/or light chain and further encode heterologous variable regions that are representative of human antibodies. Other forms of such modified mAbs include single-chain antibodies such that the variable regions of heavy and light chain are directly bound without some or all of the constant regions. Also included are bispecific antibodies which contain a heavy and light chain pair derived from one antibody source and a heavy and light chain pair derived from a different antibody source. Similarly, since light chains are often interchangeable without destroying specificity, antibodies composed of a heavy chain variable region that determines the specificity of the antibody combined with a heterologous light chain variable region are included within the scope of the invention. Chimeric antibodies with constant and variable regions derived, for example, from different species are also included.

For the variable regions of mAbs, as is well known, the critical amino acid sequences are the CDR sequences arranged on a framework which framework can vary without necessarily affecting specificity or decreasing affinity to an unacceptable level. Definition of these CDR regions is accomplished by art-known methods. Specifically, the most commonly used method for identifying the relevant CDR regions is that of Kabat as disclosed in Wu, T. T., et al., J. Exp. Med. (1970) 132:211-250 and in the book Kabat, E. A., et al. (1983) Sequence of Proteins of Immunological Interest, Bethesda National Institute of Health, 323 pages. Another similar and commonly employed method is that of Chothia, published in Chothia, C., et al., J. Mol. Biol. (1987) 196:901-917 and in Chothia, C., et al., Nature (1989) 342:877-883. An additional modification has been suggested by Abhinandan, K. R., et al., Mol. Immunol. (2008) 45:3832-3839. The present invention includes the CDR regions as defined by any of these systems or other recognized systems known in the art.

The specificities of the binding of the mAbs of the invention are defined, as noted, by the CDR regions mostly those of the heavy chain, but complemented by those of the light chain as well (the light chains being somewhat interchangeable). Therefore, the mAbs of the invention may contain the three CDR regions of a heavy chain and optionally the three CDR's of a light chain that matches it. The invention also includes binding agents that bind to the same epitopes as those that actually contain these CDR regions. Thus, for example, also included are aptamers that have the same binding specificity—i.e., bind to the same epitopes as do the mAbs that actually contain the CDR regions. Because binding affinity is also determined by the manner in which the CDR's are arranged on a framework, the mAbs of the invention may contain complete variable regions of the heavy chain containing the three relevant CDR's as well as, optionally, the complete light chain variable region comprising the three CDR's associated with the light chain complementing the heavy chain in question. This is true with respect to the mAbs that are immunospecific for a single epitope as well as for bispecific antibodies or binding moieties that are able to bind two separate epitopes, for example, divergent DNABII proteins from two bacterial species.

The mAbs of the invention may be produced recombinantly using known techniques. Thus, with regard to the novel antibodies described herein, the invention also relates to nucleic acid molecules comprising nucleotide sequence encoding them, as well as vectors or expression systems that comprise these nucleotide sequences, cells containing expression systems or vectors for expression of these nucleotide sequences and methods to produce the binding moieties by culturing these cells and recovering the binding moieties produced. Any type of cell typically used in recombinant methods can be employed including prokaryotes, yeast, mammalian cells, insect cells and plant cells. Also included are human cells (e.g., muscle cells or lymphocytes) transformed with a recombinant molecule that encodes the novel antibodies.

Typically, expression systems for the proteinaceous binding moieties of the invention include a nucleic acid encoding said protein coupled to control sequences for expression. In many embodiments, the control sequences are heterologous to the nucleic acid encoding the protein.

Bispecific binding moieties may be formed by covalently linking two different binding moieties with different specificities. For example, the CDR regions of the heavy and optionally light chain derived from one monospecific mAb may be coupled through any suitable linking means to peptides comprising the CDR regions of the heavy chain sequence and optionally light chain of a second mAb. If the linkage is through an amino acid sequence, the bispecific binding moieties can be produced recombinantly and the nucleic acid encoding the entire bispecific entity expressed recombinantly. As was the case for the binding moieties with a single specificity, the invention also includes the possibility of binding moieties that bind to one or both of the same epitopes as the bispecific antibody or binding entity/binding moiety that actually contains the CDR regions.

The invention further includes bispecific constructs which comprise the complete heavy and light chain sequences or the complete heavy chain sequence and at least the CDR's of the light chains or the CDR's of the heavy chains and the complete sequence of the light chains.

The invention is also directed to nucleic acids encoding the bispecific moieties and to recombinant methods for their production, as described above.

Multiple technologies now exist for making a single antibody-like molecule that incorporates antigen specificity domains from two separate antibodies (bi-specific antibody). Thus, a single antibody with very broad strain reactivity can be constructed using the Fab domains of individual antibodies with broad reactivity to diverse homologs. Suitable technologies have been described by MacroGenics (Rockville, Md.), Micromet (Bethesda, Md.) and Merrimac (Cambridge, Mass.). (See, e.g., Orcutt, K. D., et al., Protein Eng. Des. Sel. (2010) 23:221-228; Fitzgerald, J., et al., MAbs. (2011) 1:3; Baeuerle, P. A., et al., Cancer Res. (2009) 69:4941-4944.)

The invention is also directed to pharmaceutical and veterinary compositions which comprise as active ingredients the binding moieties of the invention. The compositions contain suitable physiologically compatible excipients such as buffers and other simple excipients. The compositions may include additional active ingredients as well, in particular antibiotics. It is often useful to combine the binding moiety of the invention with an antibiotic appropriate to a condition to be addressed since the efficacy of most antibiotics is greater against the planktonic state of the bacteria than against the sessile, biofilm embedded state. Additional active ingredients may also include immunostimulants and/or antipyrogenics and analgesics.

The binding moieties of the invention may also be used in diagnosis by administering them to a subject and observing any complexation with any biofilm present in the subject. In this embodiment the binding moieties are typically labeled with an observable label, such as a fluorescent or chemiluminescent compound in a manner analogous to labeling with bacteria that produce luciferase for non-invasive detection as described in Chang, H. M., et al., J. Vis. Exp. (2011) 10.3791/2547. The assay may also be performed on tissues obtained from the subject. The presence of a biofilm is detected in this manner if it is present, and the progress of treatment may also be monitored by measuring the complexation over time. The identity of the infectious agent may also be established by employing binding moieties that are specific for a particular strain or species of infectious agent. For diagnostic purposes, it is particularly favorable to target epitopes that are not sterically occluded when the protein is complexed with DNA. For example the epitope of TRL1361 has been determined to lie outside the contact sites with DNA. Antibodies such as this also provide the opportunity to construct sandwich immunoassays, wherein one antibody is used to capture the antigen and a second antibody that binds at a different site is used to detect the captured antigen. Such assays provide high specificity and are common in the field of diagnostics, with particular utility in a multiplexed assay to reduce the effect of antibody cross-reactivity to other antigens.

The invention also includes a method for identifying suitable immunogens for use to generate antibodies which method includes assessing the binding of the binding moieties of the invention, such as mAbs described above, to a candidate peptide or other epitope mimicking molecule. This is an effective method, not only to identify suitable immunogens, but also to identify compounds that can be used as a basis for designing aptamers that mimic the binding moieties of the invention. The method is grounded in the fact that if a vaccine immunogen cannot bind to an optimally effective mAb, it is unlikely to be able to induce such antibodies. Conversely, an immunogen that is a faithful inverse of the optimal mAb provides a useful template for constructing a mimic of the optimal mAb. In its simplest form, this method employs a binding moiety such as one of the mAbs of the invention as an assay component and tests the ability of the binding moiety to bind to a candidate immunogen in a library of said candidates. The invention further includes identification of the conformationally restricted region defined by the overlap of the epitopes for TRL1068, TRL1330 and TRL1337 as a particularly favorable starting point for such immunogen optimization.

Thus, the binding moieties of the invention may be used in high throughput assays to identify from combinatorial libraries of compounds or peptides or other substances those substances that bind with high affinity to the binding moieties of the invention. General techniques for screening combinatorial or other libraries are well known: Glokler, J., et al., Molecules (2010) 15:2478-2490. It may be advantageous to establish affinity criteria by which effective candidate immunogens or other binding partners of the binding moieties of the invention can be selected. The binding moiety, then, can become a template for the design of an aptamer that will bind an epitope of the DNABII protein, preferably across a number of species, but which contains too few nucleotides to act as a structural component in a biofilm. Thus, the resulting aptamers are composed of only 25 or less oligonucleotides, preferably 10-20 nucleotides which are sufficient to effect binding, but not sufficient to behave as structural components for biofilms. A corresponding number of individual monomers would be characteristic of nucleic acid mimics, such as peptide nucleic acids as well.

In one particular example, the immunogen discussed above could be a peptide that represents an epitope to which the binding moiety is tightly bound. The binding moiety may be an mAb, and this is particularly favorable if the binding moiety or mAb is crossreactive with regard to the DNABII protein across a number of species. The epitope then represents a template which can form the basis for forming aptamers—i.e., short species of DNA or suitable DNA analogs such as peptide nucleic acids which can then behave as agents to bind the DNABII proteins thus preventing these proteins from forming the biofilms that would result from interaction with longer forms of DNA. Such chemically sturdy mimics could be used, for example, to coat pipes in industrial settings thus permitting sequestering of DNABII proteins to prevent biofilm formation. Due to the lower immunogenicity, mAbs are generally preferable as pharmaceuticals, but such aptamer mimics are also potentially useful as pharmaceuticals, again, by virtue of their ability to prevent binding of DNABII proteins to longer forms of DNA for formation of biofilms.

In addition, the ability of the binding moieties of the invention to overcome drug resistance in a variety of bacteria can be assessed by testing the binding moieties of the invention against a panel or library of DNABII proteins from a multiplicity of microbial species. Binding moieties that are able to bind effectively a multiplicity of such proteins are thus identified as suitable not only for dissolving biofilms in general, but also as effective against a variety of microbial strains. It is also useful to identify binding moieties that have utility in acidic environments wherein the affinity of a candidate binding moiety for a DNABII protein over a range of pH conditions is tested and moieties with a low nanomolar affinity at pH 4.5 are identified as having utility in acidic environments.

The binding moieties of the invention are also verified to have an affinity with respect to at least one DNABII protein greater than the affinity of a biofilm component for the DNABII protein which comprises comparing the affinity of the binding moiety for the DNABII protein versus the affinity of a component of the biofilm, typically branched DNA, for the DNABII protein. This can be done in a competitive assay, or the affinities can be determined independently.

The DNABII proteins used in these assays may be prepared in mammalian cells at relatively high yield, thereby overcoming difficulties in expressing these proteins in bacteria. Specifically, the full-length DNABII proteins of the invention can be prepared for any purpose, including as reagents for screening B cells for antibody secretion by culturing mammalian cells comprising suitable expression vectors that include nucleic acids encoding the full-length forms of these proteins. One aspect of the invention is the successful production of full-length DNABII proteins by recombinant production in mammalian cell culture.

All of the assays above involve assessing binding of two prospective binding partners in a variety of formats.

A multitude of assay types are available for assessing successful binding of two prospective binding partners. For example, one of the binding partners can be bound to a solid support and the other labeled with a radioactive substance, fluorescent substance or a colorimetric substance and the binding of the label to the solid support is tested after removing unbound label. The assay can, of course, work either way with the binding moiety attached to the solid support and a candidate immunogen or DNABII protein labeled or vice versa where the candidate is bound to solid support and the binding moiety is labeled. Alternatively, a complex could be detected by chromatographic or electrophoretic means based on molecular weight such as SDS-page. The detectable label in the context of the binding assay can be added at any point. Thus, if, for example, the mAb or other binding moiety is attached to a solid support the candidate immunogen can be added and tested for binding by supplying a labeled component that is specific for the candidate immunogen. Hundreds of assay formats for detecting binding are known in the art, including, in the case where both components are proteins, the yeast two-hybrid assay.

In addition to this straightforward application of the utility of the binding moieties of the invention, the identification of a suitable powerful immunogen can be determined in a more sophisticated series of experiments wherein a panel of mAbs against the DNABII protein is obtained and ranked in order by efficacy. A full suite of antibodies or other binding moieties can be prepared against all possible epitopes by assessing whether additional binding moieties compete for binding with the previous panel of members. The epitopes for representative binding mAbs for each member of the complete suite can be accomplished by binding to a peptide array representing the possible overlapping epitopes of the immunogen or by X-ray crystallography, NMR or cryo-electron microscopy. An optimal vaccine antigen would retain the spatial and chemical properties of the optimal epitope defined as that recognized by the most efficacious mAbs as compared to less efficacious mAbs but does not necessarily need to be a linear peptide. It may contain non-natural amino acids or other crosslinking motifs.

Thus, even beyond the specific mAbs set forth herein, optimal immunogens can be obtained, which not only are useful in active vaccines, but also as targets for selecting aptamers. Specifically, in addition to the peptide of SEQ ID NO:80, positions 5-20 of peptides of SEQ ID NOS:71-73 and 75-79 are identified.

Another aspect of the invention is a method to prepare higher yields of the bacterial/microbial DNABII proteins which are typically difficult to express at high levels in bacteria possibly due to toxicity to those cells. The standard method for preparation of these proteins is described by Nash, H. A., et al., J. Bacteriol (1987) 169:4124-4127 who showed that the IHF of E. coli could be effectively prepared if both chains of said protein (IHF alpha and IHF beta) are produced in the same transformant. Applicants have found that they are able to obtain higher yields, as much as 5-10 mg/l of IHF, by producing homodimers transiently in the mammalian cell line HEK293 using a widely available expression vector. Similar results are obtained for DNABII proteins in general. The expression of bacterial proteins that are toxic at high levels in bacteria is conveniently achieved in mammalian cells especially for those without glycosylation sites that would result in modification of the proteins when thus expressed. If tagged with a polyhistidine, purification of the resulting protein can be readily achieved.

Applications

The binding moieties of the invention including antibodies are useful in therapy and prophylaxis for any subject that is susceptible to infection that results in a biofilm. Thus, various mammals, such as bovine, ovine and other mammalian subjects including horses and household pets and humans will benefit from the prophylactic and therapeutic use of these mAbs.

The binding moieties of the invention may be administered in a variety of ways. The peptides based on CDR regions of antibodies, including bispecific and single chain types or alternate scaffold types, may be administered directly as veterinary or pharmaceutical compositions with typical excipients. Compositions that comprise micelles or other nanoparticles of various types may be useful for extending the duration of treatment. Aptamers that behave as binding agents similar to mAbs can be administered in the same manner. Further, the binding agent may be conjugated to any of the solid supports known in the literature, such as PEG, agarose or a dextran, to function as an immuno-sorbent for extracting DNABII from a biofilm. Alternatively, the peptide-based mAbs may be administered as the encoding nucleic acids either as naked RNA or DNA or as vector or as expression constructs. The vectors may be non-replicating viral vectors such as adeno associated virus vectors (AAV) or the encoding nucleic acid sequence may be chemically or physically delivered into cells (Suskovitch, T. J., and Alter, G., Expert Rev Vaccines (2015) 14:205-219). Use of nucleic acids as drugs as opposed to their protein counterparts is helpful in controlling production costs.

These are administered in a variety of protocols, including intravenous, subcutaneous, intramuscular, topical (particularly for chronic non-healing wounds and periodontal disease), inhaled and oral or by suppository. Similar routes of administration can be used with regard to the binding moieties themselves. One useful way to administer the nucleic acid-based forms of either the binding moieties themselves (aptamers) or those encoding the protein form of binding moieties is through a needleless approach such as the agro-jet needle-free injector described in US2001/0171260.

The peptides that include the epitopes of the high affinity, cross-species binding human mAbs against DNABII proteins as described herein are also useful as active components of vaccines to stimulate immunogenic responses which will generate antibodies in situ for disruption of biofilms. The types of administration of these immunogens or peptidyl mimetics that are similarly effective are similar to those for the administration of binding moieties, including various types of antibodies, etc. Liposomal compositions that comprise micelles or other nanoparticles of various types may also be used to enhance immunogenicity. The peptidomimetics may themselves be in the form of aptamers or alternative structures that mimic the immunogenic peptides described herein. For those immunogens, however, that are proteins or peptides, the administration may be in the form of encoding nucleic acids in such form as will produce these proteins in situ. The formulation, routes of administration, and dosages are determined conventionally by the skilled artisan.

As shown in the examples below, two antibodies of the invention, TRL1068, TRL1330 and TRL1337 have particularly favorable affinity and specificity characteristics for the DNABII protein. Therefore, immunogens that bind these specific antibodies will be particularly powerful in generating effective antisera. By analyzing overlapping peptides and alanine replacements, it has been found that the epitopes for both of these highly binding antibodies are conformational epitopes located on a short anti-parallel beta sheet connected by a loop (a “beta hairpin”). These are shown in FIG. 4. Since these structures are now known, it is well within the skill of the art to construct peptidyl mimetics which preserve the conformation of the sequence, for example by crosslinking to lock in the conformation, and render it more effective than simply the linear peptide representing the epitope itself and to substitute, for example, non-natural amino acids or other than peptide bonds to render the immunogen more stable and resistant to hydrolysis. It is also possible to design alternative non-peptide mimics including peptide nucleic acids that have essentially the same shape and binding characteristics as the now identified immunogen. Focusing on the short stretch of beta sheet defined herein is advantagous for constructing epitope mimics.

As set forth in Example 2 below, as the epitopes to which TRL1068 and TRL1330 bind are in the form of a conformational epitope, methods are available in the art to provide peptidomimetics that are useful as immunogens. Such methods are disclosed in (Jimenez, M. A., Methods Mol. Biol. (2014) 1216:15-52), including design of artificial crosslinkers to stabilize the structure (Celentano, V., et al., Chem. Commun (Camb.) (2012) 48:762-764). Mimetics of this type of structure have been generated that mimic the binding of HIV Tat protein to RNA with low nM affinity (Athanassiou, Z., et al., Biochemistry (2007) 46:741-751), and a beta hairpin mimic has been described that binds to VEGF receptor-2 with low nM affinity (Patel, S., et al., Protein Eng. Des. Sel. (2013) 26:307-315). Construction of mimics is also described in Schmidt, J., et al., Bioorganic. Med. Chem. (2013) 21:5806-5810 and in Lesniak, W. G., et al., Mol. Pharm. (2015) 12:941-953. Briefly, small libraries of crosslinked or cyclic compounds based on the structure of the beta hairpin can be constructed and evaluated for structure/activity relationships by means of competition assays wherein the stabilized beta hairpin structure that includes the epitopes is used to compete with candidate peptidomimetics binding to the relevant antibody, e.g., TRL1068. Those candidates that successfully compete with the native epitope are selected as suitable immunogens.

The types of conditions for which the administration either of the vaccine type for active generation of antibodies for biofilm control or for passive treatment by administering the antibodies, per se, include any condition that is characterized by or associated with the formation of biofilms. These conditions include: heart valve endocarditis, both native and implanted (for which a substantial fraction of cases cannot be cured by high dose antibiotics due to the resistance associated with biofilm), chronic non-healing wounds (including venous ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers), ear and sinus infections, urinary tract infections, pulmonary infections (including subjects with cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), catheter associated infections (including renal dialysis subjects), subjects with implanted prostheses (including hip and knee replacements), and periodontal disease.

One particular condition for which biofilms have been implicated is Lyme disease. It has been shown that the relevant bacteria can form a biofilm in vitro and this is thought to be a substantive contributor to the prolonged course of the disease and resistance to antibiotics. The incidence is more than 30,000 cases per year in the U.S. An alignment of the HU (single gene) from Borrelia burgdorferi which is the causative bacteria shows high similarity to other IHF/HU genes in the putative epitope. Thus, the treatment of Lyme disease specifically as an indication is a part of the invention. The isolation of B. burgdorferi genes encoding HU was described by Tilly, K., et al., Microbiol. (1996) 142:2471-2479 and characterization of the biofilm formed by these organisms in vitro was described by Sapi, E., et al., PLoS 1 (2013) 7:e1848277. Similar biofilms have been observed in vivo by Sapi, E., et al., Eur. J. Microbiol. and Immunol. (2016) 6(1):9-24.

For use in diagnosis, the binding moieties can be used to detect biofilms in vivo by administering them to a subject or in vitro using tissue obtained from the subject. Detection of complexation demonstrates the presence of biofilm. Detection is facilitated by conjugating the binding moiety to a label, such as a fluorescent, chemiluminescent or radioactive label, or in the case of in vitro testing, with an enzyme label. Many such fluorescent, chemiluminescent, radioactive and enzyme labels are well known in the art. Treatment course can also be monitored by measuring the disappearance of biofilm over time. The diagnostic approach enabled by the invention is much less complex than current methods for, for example, endocarditis, where the current diagnostic is trans-esophageal echocardiogram. In addition, the detection/quantitation method can be used in evaluating the effectiveness of compounds in dissolving or inhibiting the formation of biofilms in laboratory settings. Conjugates of the binding moieties of the invention with detectable labels are generally useful in detection and/or quantitation of biofilms in a variety of contexts.

A particularly useful antibody for imaging is an antibody that binds to an epitope on the DNABII protein that does not interact with DNA since the binding will not require competition with DNA for association with the biofilm. As shown in Example 2 below, TRL1361 is such an antibody and is particularly useful in the detection methods set forth in the previous paragraph.

In addition, since it is now clear that antibodies are available that bind different epitope sites, sandwich assays become available wherein, for example, TRL1068 or TRL1330 or an antibody that binds an epitope other than that bound by TRL1361 is used as either the capture or labeling antibody and TRL1361 is used as the opposite member—for example, wherein TRL1361 is used as a capture antibody and TRL1068 is provided with a label.

As noted above, the binding moieties of the invention are not limited in their utility to therapeutic (or diagnostic) uses, but can be employed in any context where a biofilm is a problem, such as pipelines or other industrial settings. The mode of application of these binding moieties to the biofilms in these situations, again, is conventional.

For example, surfaces associated with an industrial or other setting can be coated with the binding moieties of the invention including the aptamers described above. This effects absorption of the DNABII protein and prevents formation of biofilms. The binding moieties of the invention may also be applied to the biofilms directly to effect dissolution.

The following examples are offered to illustrate but not to limit the invention.

Example 1 Preparation of Antibodies

Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC's) were obtained from anonymized blood bank donors, under informed consent. The cells were subjected to the CellSpot™ assay to determine their ability to bind the DNABII protein derived from one or more bacterial species. The DNABII protein used to screen was full length DNABII prepared in mammalian cells. The full length proteins used were HU from Staphylococcus aureus; IHF from Klebsiella pneuomoniae; and IHF from Haemophilus influenzae. The CellSpot™ assay is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,413,868 and 7,939,344. After isolating the B cells from whole blood, they were stimulated with cytokines and mitogens to initiate a brief period of proliferation and antibody secretion (lasting ˜5 days) and plated for subjection to the assays; the encoding nucleic acids for the variable regions were extracted and used to produce the antibodies recombinantly following fusion of the variable region encoding DNA to DNA cloned independently that codes for the constant region of the antibody.

Antibodies were selected from over 5 million B cells based on binding to at least one of the DNABII proteins screened. These antibodies: TRL1068, TRL1070, TRL1087, TRL1215, TRL1216, TRL1218, TRL1230, TRL1232, TRL1242, TRL1245, TRL1330, TRL1335, TRL1337, TRL1338, TRL1341, TRL1347 and TRL1361 were characterized by affinity as measured by adsorption ELISA.

This result establishes the feasibility of a focused screen to isolate high affinity, cross-strain binding antibodies. Recovery of such antibodies from human blood is unexpected, since no immunogen was provided, and the low frequency of such mAbs underscores the unpredictability of their presence. As described in PCT WO2011/123396 (FIG. 13), IHF complexed to DNA is poorly immunogenic as compared to IHF not complexed to DNA. This has been confirmed experimentally since IHF in the absence of DNA is more successful in raising polyclonal antibodies than administration of the complex. The natural state of the protein is in the form of a complex with DNA; that is, the protein is a limiting factor for biofilm formation since addition of exogenous protein increases the amount of biofilm formed (Devaraj, A., et al., Mol. Microbiol. (2015 Mar. 11) doi: 10.1111/mmi.12994. Epub ahead of print). Thus, the more immunogenic sites are normally masked by DNA. Despite these facts, several of the mAbs described here that were cloned from human blood bind to sites that are presumed to be in contact with DNA. No immunization with isolated IHF or peptides thereof (as taught by WO2011/123396) was required to stimulate the production of such antibodies.

TRL1068 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 1) QVQLVESGPGLVKPSETLSLTCRVSGDSNRPSYWSWIRQAPGKAMEWIGY VYDSGVTIYNPSLKGRVTISLDTSKTRFSLKLTSVIAADTAVYYCARERF DRTSYKSWWGQGTQVTVSS;

TRL1068 light chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 2) DIVLTQAPGTLSLSPGDRATLSCRASQRLGGTSLAWYQHRSGQAPRLILY GTSNRATDTPDRFSGSGSGTDFVLTISSLEPEDFAVYYCQQYGSPPYTFG QGTTLDIK;

TRL1070 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 3) QVQLVQSGGTLVQPGGSLRLSCAASGFTFSYYSMSWVRQAPGKGLEWVAN IKHDGTERNYVDSVKGRFTISRDNSEKSLYLQMNSLRAEDTAVYYCAKYY YGAGTNYPLKYWGQGTRVTVSS;

TRL1070 light chain kappa variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 4) DILMTQSPSSLSASVGDRVTITCRASQGIRNDLGWYQQKPGKAPKLLIYA ASSLQSGVPSRFSGSGSGTDFTLTISSLQPEDFATYYCLQDYNYPLTFGG GTKVEIKR;

TRL1087 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 5) QVQLLESGPGLVRPSDTLSLTCTFSADLSTNAYWTWIRQPPGKGLEWIGY MSHSGGRDYNPSFNRRVTISVDTSKNQVFLRLTSVTSADTAVYFCVREVG SYYDYWGQGILVTVSS;

TRL1087 light chain kappa variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 6) DIEMTQSPSSLSASVGDRITITCRASQGISTWLAWYQQKPGKAPKSLIFS TSSLHSGVPSKFSGSGSGTDFTLTITNLQPEDFATYYCQQKWETPYSFGQ GTKLDMIR;

TRL1215 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 7) QVQLVESGTEVKNPGASVKVSCTASGYKFDEYGVSWVRQSPGQGLEWMGW ISVYNGKTNYSQNFQGRLTLTTETSTDTAYMELTSLRPDDTAVYYCATDK NWFDPWGPGTLVTVSS;

TRL1215 light chain lambda variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 8) DIVMTQSPSASGSPGQSITISCTGTNTDYNYVSWYQHHPGKAPKVIIYDV KKRPSGVPSRFSGSRSGNTATLTVSGLQTEDEADYYCVSYADNNHYVFGS GTKVTVL;

TRL1216 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 9) QVQLVESGGGVVQPGGSLRVSCAASAFSFRDYGIHWVRQAPGKGLQWVAV ISHDGGKKFYADSVRGRFTISRDNSENTLYLQMNSLRSDDTAVYYCARLV ASCSGSTCTTQPAAFDIWGPGTLVTVSS;

TRL1216 light chain lambda variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 10) DIMLTQPPSVSVSPGQTARITCSGDALPKKYTYWYQQKSGQAPVLLIYED RKRPSEIPERFSAFTSWTTATLTITGAQVRDEADYYCYSTDISGDIGVFG GGTKLTVL;

TRL1218 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 11) QVQLLESGADMVQPGRSLRLSCAASGFNFRTYAMHWVRQAPGKGLEWVAV MSHDGYTKYYSDSVRGQFTISRDNSKNTLYLQMNNLRPDDTAIYYCARGL TGLSVGFDYWGQGTLVTVSS;

TRL1218 light chain lambda variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 12) DIVLTQSASVSGSPGQSITISCTGTSSDVGGYNYVSWYQQHPGKAPKLMI YDVTTRPSGVSDRFSGSKSGNTASLTISGLQAEDEADYYCSSYSSGSTPA LFGGGTQLTVL;

TRL1230 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 13) QVQLVQSGGGLVKPGGSLRLSCGASGFNLSSYSMNWVRQAPGKGLEWVSS ISSRSSYIYYADSVQGRFTISRDNAKNSLYLQMNSLRAEDTAIYYCARVS PSTYYYYGMDVWGQGTTVTVSS;

TRL1230 light chain lambda variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 14) DIVLTQPSSVSVSPGQTARITCSGDELPKQYAYWYQQKPGQAPVLVIYKD NERPSGIPERFSGSSSGTTVTLTISGVQAEDEADYYCQSADSSGTYVVFG GGTKLTVL;

TRL1232 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 15) QVQLVESGAEVKKPGALVKVSCKASGYTFSGYYMHWVRQAPGQGLEWMGW INPKSGGTKYAQKFQGRVTMTRDTSISTAYMELSRLRSDDTAVYFCARGG PSNLERFLERLQPRYSYDDKYAMDVWGQGTTVTVSS;

TRL1232 light chain kappa variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 16) DIVMTQSPGTLSLSPGARATLSCRASQSVSSIYLAWYQQKPGQAPRLLIF GASSRATGIPDRFSGSGSGTDFTLTISRLEPEDFAVYYCQQYGSSPYTFG QGTKLEIKR;

TRL1242 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 17) QVQLVQSGTEVKKPGESLKISCEGSRYNFARYWIGWVRQMPGKGLDWMGI IYPGDSDTRYSPSFQGQVSISADKSISTAYLQWNSLKASDTAMYYCARLG SELGVVSDYYFDSWGQGTLVTVSS;

TRL1242 light chain kappa variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 18) DIVLTQSPDSLAVSLGERATINCKSSQSVLDRSNNKNCVAWYQQKPGQPP KLLIYRAATRESGVPDRFSGSGSGTDFSLTISSLQAEDVAVYFCQQYYSI PNTFGQGTKLEIKR;

TRL1245 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 19) QVQLVESGGGLVKAGGSLRLSCVASGFTFSDYYMSWIRQAPGKGLEWISF ISSSGDTIFYADSVKGRFTVSRDSAKNSLYLQMNSLKVEDTAVYYCARKG VSDEELLRFWGQGTLVTVSS;

TRL1245 light chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 20) DIVLTQDPSVSVSPGQTARITCSGDALPKKYAYWYQQKSGQAPVLVIYED TKRPSGIPERFSGSSSGTVATLTISGAQVEDEADYYCYSTDSSGNQRVFG GGTKLTVL;

TRL1330 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 21) QVQLVESGTEVKNPGASVKVSCTASGYKFDEYGVSWVRQSPGQGLEWMGW ISVYNGKTNYSQNFQGRLTLTTETSTDTAYMELTSLRPDDTAVYYCATDK NWFDPWGPGTLVTVSS;

TRL1330 light chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 22) DIVLTQSPSASGSPGQSITISCTGTNTDYNYVSWYQHHPGKAPKVIIYDV KKRPSGVPSRFSGSRSGNTATLTVSGLQTEDEADYYCVSYADNNHYVFGS GTKVTVL;

TRL1335 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 23) QVQLVESGAEVKKPGESLKISCKGSGYNFTSYWIGWVRQMPGKGLEWMGV IYPDDSDTRYSPSFKGQVTISADKSISTAFLQWSSLKASDTAVYHCARPP DSWGQGTLVTVSS;

TRL1335 light chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 24) DIVMTQSPATLSVSPGERATLSCRASQSVSSNLAWYQQKPGLAPRLLIVG ASNRATGIPARFSGSGSGTEFTLTISSLQSEDFAFYYCQQYNNWPFTFGP GTKVDVKR;

TRL1337 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 25) QVQLLESGPGLVKPSETPSLTCTVSGGSIRSYYWSWIRQPPGKGLEWIGY IYYSGSTNYNPSLKSRVTISVDMSKNQFSLKLSSVTAADTAMYYCARVYG GSGSYDFDYWGQGTLVTVSS;

TRL1337 light chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 26) DIVLTQSPSASGSPGQSVTISCTGTSSDVGGYNYVSWYQQLPGKAPKLMI YEVTKRPSGVPDRFSGSKSGNTASLTVSGLQAEDEADYYCSSFAGSNNHV VFGGGTKLTVL;

TRL1338 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 27) QVQLTLRESGPTLVKPTQTLTLTCTFSGFSLSTNGVGVGWIRQPPGKALE WLAIIYWDDDKRYSPSLKSRLTITKDTSKNQVVLTLTNMDPVDTGTYYCA HILGASNYWTGYLRYYFDYWGQGTLVTVST;

TRL1338 light chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 28) DIEMTQSPSVSVSPGQTARITCSGEPLAKQYAYWYQQKSGQAPVVVIYKD TERPSGIPERFSGSSSGTTVTLTISGVQAEDEADYHCESGDSSGTYPVFG GGTKLTVL;

TRL1341 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 29) QVQLQESGGGLVQPGGSLKLSCAASGFIFSGSTMHWVRQASGKGLEWVGR IRSKTNNYATAYAASVKGRFTISRDDSKNTAYLQMNSLKTEDTAVYYCIS LPGGYSSGQGTLVTVSS;

TRL1341 light chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 30) DIMLTQPPSVSVSPGQTARITCSGDALPKKYTYWYQQKSGQAPVLVIYED SKRPSEIPERFSAFTSWTTATLTITGAQVGDEADYYCYSTDITGDIGVFG GGTKLTVL;

TRL1347 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 31) QVQLVQSGGGLVQPGGSLKVSCVGSGFTFSASTIHWVRQASGKGLEWVGR IRSKANNYATVSAASLKGRFTISRDDSKNTAYLQVNSLKIEDTAIYYCTR PTACGDRVCWHGAWGQGTQVTVSP;

TRL1347 light chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 32) DIVLTQSPSASGTPGQRVTISCSGSRSNLGNNNVNWYQQLPGTAPKLLIF DNNERPSGVPGRFSGSKSGTSASLAISGLRSEDEADYYCASWDDSLNGWV FGGGTKVTVL; and

TRL1361 heavy chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 33) QVQLVESGGGLAQPGGSLRLSCAASGFIFNTYAMGWVRQAPGKGLEWVST VSAPGAGTYYTDSVKGRFIISRDNSKNILYLQMNRLRVEDTAVYYCARDQ GGPAVAGARIFDYWGQGALVTVSS;

TRL1361 light chain variable region has the amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 34) DIVLTQSPLSLSVTPGQPASISCKSSQSLLRSDGKTYLCWYLQKPGQPPQ LLIYEVSNRVSGVPDRFSGSGSGTDFTLKISRVEAEDVGVYYCMQSIQLR TFGQGTKVEIKR.

The encoding nucleotide sequences for the variable regions of the antibodies of the invention and are set forth in the sequence listing as follows:

TRL1068: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:35); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:36)

TRL1070: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:37); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:38)

TRL1087: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:39); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:40)

TRL1215: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:41); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:42)

TRL1216: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:43); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:44)

TRL1218: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:45); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:46)

TRL1230: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:47); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:48)

TRL1232: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:49); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:50)

TRL1242: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:51); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:52)

TRL1245: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:53); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:54)

TRL1330: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:55); and codon optimized (SEQ ID NO:56); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:57); and codon optimized (SEQ ID NO:58)

TRL1335: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:59); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:60)

TRL1337: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:61); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:62)

TRL1338: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:63); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:64)

TRL1341: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:65); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:66)

TRL1347: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:67); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:68)

TRL1361: Heavy Chain: (SEQ ID NO:69); Light Chain: (SEQ ID NO:70).

Example 2 Epitope Mapping

A set of 26 overlapping 15-mer peptides (offset by 3 residues) from the HU-beta of Staphylococcus aureus was synthesized, each with a biotin at the N-terminus (followed by a short linker comprising SGSG). Peptides were dissolved in DMSO (15-20 mg/mL), diluted 1:1000 in PBS and bound to streptavidin coated plates in duplicate, to detect binding by the mAbs. These results are shown in FIG. 1.

TRL1068 and TRL1337 bound to peptides 19, SGSG AARKGRNPQTGKEID (SEQ ID NO:71) and 20, SGSG KGRNPQTGKEIDIPA (SEQ ID NO:72) strongly, and weakly to peptide 18, SGSG RERAARKGRNPQTGK (SEQ ID NO:73). TRL1330 bound strongly only to peptide 19. The epitope is thereby identified as within KGRNPQTGKEIDI (SEQ ID NO:74).

TRL1338 binds strongly only to peptide 26, SGSGVPAFKAGKALKDAVK (SEQ ID NO:75). TRL1361 binds at a very different site, with strong binding to peptides 12 and 13 in the set, i.e., SGSG SLAKGEKVQLIGFGN (SEQ ID NO:76) and SGSG KGEKVQLIGFGNFEV (SEQ ID NO:77), and less strongly to peptide 14, SGSG KVQLIGFGNFEVRER (SEQ ID NO:78). TRL1347 bound moderately to peptide 6, SGSG TKKEAGSAVDAVFES (SEQ ID NO:79).

TRL1335 binds to none of the 26 peptides; however, TRL1335 binds to the DNABII proteins from Pa and Sa. It is evident from these results that TRL1335 binds to a conformational epitope. TRL1338 also binds strongly to Pa and Sa. TRL1337 binds very strongly to the DNABII protein from Sa.

The epitope represented by SEQ ID NO:71 and SEQ ID NO:72 was then mapped more precisely using 12-mer peptides offset by one residue across the region defined by peptides 19 and 20 of the 3-residue offset set. Further, alanine scanning was conducted across this region, substituting alanine for the native amino acid at each residue in turn. As shown in FIG. 3, the epitope for both TRL1068 AARKGRNPQTGEKEIDIPA (SEQ ID NO:80) and TRL1330 AARKGRNPQTGEKEIDIPA (SEQ ID NO:80) comprises as particularly important the residues (underlined) in the linear sequence, which form a conformational epitope that is a beta-hairpin (anti-parallel beta sheet) structure. This structure has been extensively studied and peptidomimetics for such structures have been prepared. Such beta-hairpin structures can be synthesized chemically in high yields and can be cyclized to stabilize the conformation and to improve proteolytic stability. The definition of the epitopes for TRL1068 and TRL1330 at high resolution thereby enables design of peptidomimetics suitable for use as immunogens and as competing binding agents. These mAbs further provide a useful way to measure likely utility of variants of the beta hairpin structure. Only those variants that retain high affinity binding to at least one of these reference mAbs are likely to be able to induce an immune response that provides the biofilm interfering activity of the reference mAbs.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the region of the IHF or HU protein that corresponds to SEQ ID NO:80 is substantially conserved across multiple clinically important bacterial species. Structural modeling of IHF or HU from multiple species has confirmed that the homology is high, particularly in the DNA binding region (Swinger, K. K., et al., Current Opinion in Structural Biology (2004) 14:28-35). Peptides that only partially overlap with this optimal region are less likely to fold spontaneously into the relevant three dimensional conformation and will be more difficult to chemically crosslink in order to lock in that conformation. Optimizing the fidelity to the native protein in this manner is advantageous for both mAb discovery and for use of the peptide as an immunogen.

Computational construction of IHF from E. coli shows that this epitope is partially masked by DNA when bound. However, if exposed, these portions of the proteins may generate antibodies of high affinity capable of binding them and thus preventing the formation of biofilm or causing an established biofilm to lose structural integrity as the DNABII protein is sequestered by the antibody. Other sites on the DNABII protein not involved in binding DNA may also suffice to achieve extraction of the protein out of the biofilm based on higher affinity binding by the mAb as compared to the protein's affinity for components of the biofilm.

Example 3 Determination of Affinity

For practice of the assay method, ˜1 mg of DNABII protein was required. DNABII protein is difficult to express in bacteria (since it has a dual function involving gene regulation, apparently leading to toxicity to bacteria when expressed at high levels). Obtaining sufficient material for mAb discovery from bacterial sources is thus difficult. The protein was therefore expressed in HEK293 (mammalian) cells, with a poly-histidine tag to enable easy purification. The homologs from Staphylococcus aureus (Sa), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa), Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp), Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab) and Haemophilus influenzae (Hi) were all prepared in this manner. These five are of particular utility since they span a substantial portion of the diversity in sequences of the DNABII family.

Antibodies TRL1068, 1330, 1333, 1337 and 1338 among them bind to these proteins. Four of these, Sa, Kp, Ab, and Pa are members of the clinically problematic ESKAPE set, which are Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli.

The ELISA assays were conducted as follows:

-   -   Plates were coated with 1 ug/ml of antigen in PBS overnight at         4° C.     -   Washed 4 times in PBS/0.05% Tween® 20.     -   Blocked in 3% BSA/PBS and stored until ready to use.     -   Washed 4 times in PBS/0.05% Tween® 20.     -   Incubated for 1 hr with serial dilutions of anti-DNABII mAb in         blocking buffer.     -   Washed 4 times in PBS/0.05% Tween® 20.     -   Incubated for 1 hr in 1 ug/ml of HRP-conjugated goat anti human         IgG Fc in blocking buffer.     -   Washed 4 times in PBS/0.05% Tween® 20.     -   Developed in TMB peroxidase substrate and color stopped with         stop solution with affinity estimated as the half-maximal         binding concentration.

The fitted curves from the ELISA points give a mid-point value that represents an estimate of the affinity constant. The results for antibodies TRL's 1335, 1337, 1338, 1341, 1347 and 1361 in binding to HU-beta of S. aureus are shown in FIG. 4 and are summarized as follows.

affinity to TRL HU Sa 1335 >1 μM 1337 6 nM 1338 42 nM 1341 >1 μm 1347 >500 nM 1361 6.6 nM

The results for TRL1068 and 1330 are shown in FIGS. 5A-5B and are as follows:

TRL1068 TRL1330 Antigen Affinity (pM) Affinity (pM) P. aeruginosa 11 13 S. aureus 15 23 K. pneumoniae 11 14 H. influenzae 5,000 26 Acinetobacter baumannii 10 17

Although TRL1337 bound the same peptides used for epitope mapping in Example 2 as did TRL1068 and TRL1330, among the five full-length DNABII proteins tested, TRL1337 bound only that of S. aureus. This result is further evidence for some conformational character to the epitopes.

Example 4 In Vitro Bioactivity Assessment

TRL1068 was tested for bioactivity using a commercial assay from Innovotech (Edmonton, Alberta; Canada). Biofilms were formed in multiple replicates on plastic pegs in a 96-well microplate format exposed to media including Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) or Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213). Following biofilm formation, the pegs were treated in different wells with saline or an isotype matched non-binding antibody control or with TRL1068 at 1.2 μg/mL (˜10 nM) for 12 hours. As evident in the scanning electron micrographs of the treated surfaces in FIGS. 6A and 6B, TRL1068 was highly effective at dissolving the biofilm as compared to the growth controls. These results establish that the mAb can degrade the biofilm, thereby removing the attached bacteria. It further shows that TRL1068 is active against biofilms produced by both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Such broad spectrum activity is rarely achieved by conventional antibiotics.

TRL1330 and TRL1361 were subjected to similar assays and provided similar results. TRL1330 was active against both Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus and TRL1361 only against Staphylococcus aureus.

Example 5 pH Dependence

The high affinity binding of TRL1068 was shown to be retained even as the pH was decreased from physiological (pH 7.5) to pH 4.5, as shown below. FIGS. 7A-7C show the results for TRL1068 assessed against three different DNABII homologs. In other studies, no significant change in binding was seen at higher pH up to 8.5.

TRL1068 Affinity (nM) pH Sa Kp Pa 7.5 0.010 0.006 0.005 6.5 0.012 0.006 0.005 5.5 0.012 0.009 0.006 4.5 0.012 0.050 0.009 3.5 0.36 3.0 0.26 2.5 3.5 2.6 2.1

Similarly, TRL1330 subjected to similar assays provides similar results.

This is important since the local micro-environment of infected tissues is often at lower pH than in healthy tissues.

Example 6 In Vivo Bioactivity Assessments

Several animal models exist for evaluation of activity. For example, as described by investigators at University Hospital Basel (Switzerland), a model for biofilm on implanted prostheses involves implanting Teflon® tissue cages (Angst+Pfister; Zurich, Switzerland) subcutaneously in BALB/c mice. Sterile perforated cylindrical Teflon® tissue cages, 8.5×1×30 mm, 1.9 mL volume (Angst+Pfister AG, Zurich, Switzerland), were implanted subcutaneously into anesthetized mice. Upon complete wound healing (two weeks), the mice were anesthetized and the cages tested for sterility by plating percutaneously aspirated tissue cage fluid (TCF) on Columbia sheep blood agar plates. To simulate a perioperative infection, 700 colony-forming units (CFU) of MRSA (ATCC 43300) were injected into each cage (day 0). After 24 hours, the interior of the cage becomes coated with a biofilm. Treatment groups (given intraperitoneally (i.p.) starting 24 hours after the biofilm was formed): saline control, antibiotic alone (daptomycin (DAP), 50 mg/kg), or antibiotic in combination with TRL1068 (15 mg/kg). On days 2 and 3, the fluid within the tissue cage (TCF) was aspirated and plated to determine CFU of planktonic bacteria. At the end of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed and the implanted cage recovered. Following sonication to release the adherent bacteria, the level of infection was again assessed as CFU per cage. As expected, the bacteria in the cage were only partially reduced by daptomycin alone. By contrast, TRL1068 in combination with daptomycin significantly reduced the bacteria inside the cages on day 2 (P<0.01). Additionally, TRL1068 in combination with daptomycin significantly reduced adherent bacteria inside the cage (P<0.02). See FIG. 8. Since daptomycin concentration in the body decreases substantially over 24 hours, a second experiment was conducted in which TRL1068 and daptomycin were administered by i.p. injection daily for 3 days. Similar efficacy at day 2 was observed, measuring the planktonic bacteria in the cage fluid. At sacrifice, the remaining adherent bacteria level was again measured. A 2 log reduction was observed for the TRL1068 treated animals, an improvement over the 1 log reduction seen with only 1 dose of daptomycin. This result is consistent with continuous erosion of the biofilm, releasing bacteria that can be killed by daptomycin more effectively than when they are embedded in the biofilm. Longer exposure to the antibody (over 5 days) was even more effective. Finally, including a pre-infection dose of TRL1068 in the regimen (including DAP+TRL1068 over 5 days) was highly effective at eliminating the biofilm. These results are described in: Estelles, A., et al., Antimicrobial Agents Chemother. (2016) 60(4):2292-2301.

A second example is a model that involves inducing biofilm on heart valves, mimicking native valve endocarditis (Tattevin, P., et al., Antimicrob Agents Chemother (2013) 57:1157). New Zealand white rabbits are anesthetized. The right carotid artery is cut and a polyethylene catheter is positioned across the aortic valve and secured in place. Twenty four hours later, 1 mL of saline plus 8×10⁷ CFU of S. aureus is injected through the catheter, which induces a biofilm infection in 95% of the animals. Drugs (anti-biofilm and antibiotic) are administered i.v. and efficacy is evaluated after 4 days by tissue pathology and blood bacterial levels.

A third example is a rat model for valve infective endocarditis (IE). TRL1068 was evaluated in a catheter-induced aortic valve IE rat model (Xiong, Y. Q., et al., Antimicrob Agents Chemother. (2005) 49:3114-3121. Rats were infected with a clinical isolate (MRSA strain 300-169; associated with persistent bacteremia). Animals were treated with 6 days of vancomycin (n=8; VAN: 120 mg/kg, SC, bid) alone or in combination with TRL1068 (n=10) or isotype control antibody (n=8); each at 15 mg/kg, i.v., QD on days 1 and 4. MRSA burden in cardiac vegetations, intracardiac catheter, kidney, spleen and liver was quantified at sacrifice on day 7 (mean log₁₀CFU/g tissue±SD). MRSA densities in vegetations showed ≧1.75 log reduction in the TRL1068+VAN arm vs. isotype control+VAN arm (P<0.001). Significant reduction in CFU's was also observed for intracardiac catheters, kidneys, spleens and livers (P<0.05) for the VAN+TRL1068 arm vs. both VAN+isotype and isotype alone arms. A trend towards mortality reduction in the VAN+TRL1068 arm was also observed (P=0.09). Similarly, TRL1330 is subjected to these assays to provide similar results.

Embodiments of the Invention

The various embodiments of the invention include a monoclonal binding moiety that has affinity for at least one DNABII protein that exceeds the affinity of said DNABII protein for components of a biofilm that includes said DNABII protein, and includes embodiments wherein the binding moiety is a monoclonal antibody (mAb), an aptamer, a non-Ig scaffold or a structured short peptide, and those wherein said binding moiety binds an epitope on said DNABII protein that is conserved across bacterial species, and combinations of these features.

This embodiment includes those embodiments wherein binding moiety is an mAb and the mAb is an Fv antibody, a bispecific antibody, a chimeric antibody, species-ized antibody or a complete antibody comprising generic constant regions heterologous to variable regions, and those wherein the biofilm component is branched DNA, and/or wherein the DNABII protein is IHF or a subunit thereof, or is HU protein or a subunit thereof, and those wherein said binding moiety dissolves biofilm derived from at least two bacterial species including both Gram positive and Gram negative species, including those wherein said species are S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae, and those wherein the binding moiety has affinity for biofilm-forming protein from at least three bacterial species at least as strong as 100 pM, including those wherein said species are selected from S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae, and wherein said affinity is at least as strong as 40 pM, and wherein said species are S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae.

Any of these embodiments may be mAbs which are humanized mAbs or modified to be compatible with a feline, canine, equine, bovine, porcine, caprine or ovine species or wherein the variable and constant regions of said mAbs are human, feline, canine, equine, bovine, porcine, caprine or ovine.

Specific embodiments of the invention include binding moieties which are mAb or antigen binding fragments wherein the variable region comprises

(a) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1068 (SEQ ID NO:1); or

(b) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1070 (SEQ ID NO:3); or

(c) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1087 (SEQ ID NO:5); or

(d) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1215 (SEQ ID NO:7); or

(e) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1216 (SEQ ID NO:9); or

(f) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1218 (SEQ ID NO:11); or

(g) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1230 (SEQ ID NO:13); or

(h) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1232 (SEQ ID NO:15); or

(i) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1242 (SEQ ID NO:17); or

(j) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1245 (SEQ ID NO:19); or

(k) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1330 (SEQ ID NO:21); or

(l) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1335 (SEQ ID NO:23); or

(m) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1337 (SEQ ID NO:25); or

(n) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1338 (SEQ ID NO:27); or

(o) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1341 (SEQ ID NO:29); or

(p) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1347 (SEQ ID NO:31); or

(q) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1361 (SEQ ID NO:33), or mAb or antigen binding fragments that compete for binding DNABII protein with mAb or fragments comprising these CDR regions.

With respect to the mAb in the previous paragraph, in some embodiments

the mAb of (a) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1068 (SEQ ID NO:2); or

the mAb of (b) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1070 (SEQ ID NO:4); or

the mAb of (c) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1087 (SEQ ID NO:6); or

the mAb of (d) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1215 (SEQ ID NO:8); or

the mAb of (e) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1216 (SEQ ID NO:10); or

the mAb of (f) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1218 (SEQ ID NO:12); or

the mAb of (g) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1230 (SEQ ID NO:14); or

the mAb of (h) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1232 (SEQ ID NO:16); or

the mAb of (i) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1242 (SEQ ID NO:18); or

the mAb of (j) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1245 (SEQ ID NO:20); or

the mAb of (k) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1330 (SEQ ID NO:22); or

the mAb of (l) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1335 (SEQ ID NO:24); or

the mAb of (m) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1337 (SEQ ID NO:26); or

the mAb of (n) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1338 (SEQ ID NO:28); or

the mAb of (o) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1341 (SEQ ID NO:30); or

the mAb of (p) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1347 (SEQ ID NO:32); or

the mAb of (q) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1361 (SEQ ID NO:34), or mAb or antigen binding fragments that compete for binding DNABII protein with mAb or fragments comprising these CDR regions.

More specific embodiments are mAbs or, antigen binding fragments thereof which comprise

(a) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1068 (SEQ ID NO:1); or

(b) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1070 (SEQ ID NO:3); or

(c) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1087 (SEQ ID NO:5); or

(d) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1215 (SEQ ID NO:7); or

(e) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1216 (SEQ ID NO:9); or

(f) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1218 (SEQ ID NO:11); or

(g) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1230 (SEQ ID NO:13); or

(h) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1232 (SEQ ID NO:15); or

(i) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1242 (SEQ ID NO:17); or

(j) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1245 (SEQ ID NO:19); or

(k) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1330 (SEQ ID NO:21); or

(l) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1335 (SEQ ID NO:23); or

(m) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1337 (SEQ ID NO:25); or

(n) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1338 (SEQ ID NO:27); or

(o) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1341 (SEQ ID NO:29); or

(p) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1347 (SEQ ID NO:31); or

(q) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1361 (SEQ ID NO:33), or mAb or antigen binding fragments that compete for binding DNABII protein with mAb or fragments comprising these variable regions; and in particular wherein

the mAb of (a) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1068 (SEQ ID NO:2); or

the mAb of (b) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1070 (SEQ ID NO:4); or

the mAb of (c) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1087 (SEQ ID NO:6); or

the mAb of (d) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1215 (SEQ ID NO:8); or

the mAb of (e) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1216 (SEQ ID NO:10); or

the mAb of (f) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1218 (SEQ ID NO:12); or

the mAb of (g) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1230 (SEQ ID NO:14); or

the mAb of (h) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1232 (SEQ ID NO:16); or

the mAb of (i) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1242 (SEQ ID NO:18); or

the mAb of (j) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1245 (SEQ ID NO:20); or

the mAb of (k) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1330 (SEQ ID NO:22); or

the mAb of (l) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1335 (SEQ ID NO:24); or

the mAb of (m) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1337 (SEQ ID NO:26); or

the mAb of (n) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1338 (SEQ ID NO:28); or

the mAb of (o) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1341 (SEQ ID NO:30); or

the mAb of (p) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1347 (SEQ ID NO:32); or

the mAb of (q) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1361 (SEQ ID NO:34), or mAb or antigen binding fragments that compete for binding DNABII protein with mAb or fragments comprising these variable regions.

Each binding moiety, including the mAbs of the invention, binds to an epitope that is conserved with respect to a DNABII protein derived from at least two or three or more species of bacteria. The epitope may be linear or conformational, and conservation of the epitope is determined simply by the ability of the binding moiety to successfully bind the relevant portion of the DNABII protein. Even for conformational epitopes, the portion may constitute a limited region of the protein, and it is thus possible to identify conservation of the epitope by review of the sequences of these proteins and selecting regions of homology.

The invention also includes pharmaceutical or veterinary compositions for treatment in a subject of a condition in said subject characterized by formation of biofilms which comprises as active ingredient the monoclonal binding moiety as set forth in any of the foregoing embodiments in an amount effective to prevent or inhibit or dissolve a biofilm characteristic of said condition, said composition further including a suitable pharmaceutical excipient, including those pharmaceutical or veterinary compositions which further include at least one antibiotic, and/or further include at least one additional active ingredient.

The invention also includes a method to treat a condition in a subject characterized by the formation of a biofilm in said subject or to detect the formation of a biofilm in said subject, which method comprises treating said subject with a binding moiety which is a monoclonal antibody (mAb), an aptamer, a non-Ig scaffold or a structured short peptide, or

wherein said binding moiety has affinity for at least one DNABII protein that exceeds the affinity of said DNABII protein for components of a biofilm that includes said DNABII protein;

wherein said binding moiety binds an epitope on said DNABII protein that is conserved across bacterial species; and

wherein when the biofilm is to be detected, the method further comprises observing complexation of said binding moiety with any biofilm present, such as by employing a labeled binding moiety such as a radioisotope, a dye, a fluorescent moiety or an enzyme substrate.

Such conditions may be heart valve endocarditis, chronic non-healing wounds, including venous ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers, ear infections, sinus infections, urinary tract infections, pulmonary infections, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, catheter-associated infections, infections associated with implanted prostheses, periodontal disease, and Lyme disease.

In particular embodiments of these methods, the subject is human and the binding moiety is an mAb which is a human or humanized mAb; in particular wherein said binding moiety dissolves biofilm derived from at least three bacterial species. Such species may be selected from S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae.

In some embodiments of these methods, the binding moiety has affinity for biofilm-forming protein from at least three bacterial species at least as strong as 100 pM, wherein, in some embodiments, said species are S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae.

In other embodiments, the binding moiety has affinity for biofilm-forming protein from at least three bacterial species at least as strong as 40 pM, in particular wherein said species are S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae.

Particularly useful in the methods of the invention are those wherein the binding moiety is an mAb or an antigen binding fragment thereof and wherein the variable region of said mAb comprises

(a) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1068 (SEQ ID NO:1); or

(b) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1070 (SEQ ID NO:3); or

(c) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1087 (SEQ ID NO:5); or

(d) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1215 (SEQ ID NO:7); or

(e) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1216 (SEQ ID NO:9); or

(f) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1218 (SEQ ID NO:11); or

(g) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1230 (SEQ ID NO:13); or

(h) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1232 (SEQ ID NO:15); or

(i) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1242 (SEQ ID NO:17); or

(j) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1245 (SEQ ID NO:19); or

(k) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1330 (SEQ ID NO:21); or

(l) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1335 (SEQ ID NO:23); or

(m) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1337 (SEQ ID NO:25); or

(n) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1338 (SEQ ID NO:27); or

(o) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1341 (SEQ ID NO:29); or

(p) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1347 (SEQ ID NO:31); or

(q) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1361 (SEQ ID NO:33), or mAb or antigen binding fragments that compete for binding DNABII protein with mAb or fragments comprising these CDR regions; and including said mAb or fragment and in particular wherein

the mAb of (a) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1068 (SEQ ID NO:2); or

the mAb of (b) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1070 (SEQ ID NO:4); or

the mAb of (c) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1087 (SEQ ID NO:6); or

the mAb of (d) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1215 (SEQ ID NO:8); or

the mAb of (e) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1216 (SEQ ID NO:10); or

the mAb of (f) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1218 (SEQ ID NO:12); or

the mAb of (g) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1230 (SEQ ID NO:14); or

the mAb of (h) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1232 (SEQ ID NO:16); or

the mAb of (i) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1242 (SEQ ID NO:18); or

the mAb of (j) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1245 (SEQ ID NO:20); or

the mAb of (k) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1330 (SEQ ID NO:22); or

the mAb of (l) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1335 (SEQ ID NO:24); or

the mAb of (m) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1337 (SEQ ID NO:26); or

the mAb of (n) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1338 (SEQ ID NO:28); or

the mAb of (o) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1341 (SEQ ID NO:30); or

the mAb of (p) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1347 (SEQ ID NO:32); or

the mAb of (q) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1361 (SEQ ID NO:34), or mAb or antigen binding fragments that compete for binding DNABII protein with mAb or fragments comprising these CDR regions.

In more specific embodiments of the invention methods, the subject is human and said mAb or antigen-binding fragment comprises

(a) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1068 (SEQ ID NO:1); or

(b) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1070 (SEQ ID NO:3); or

(c) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1087 (SEQ ID NO:5); or

(d) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1215 (SEQ ID NO:7); or

(e) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1216 (SEQ ID NO:9); or

(f) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1218 (SEQ ID NO:11); or

(g) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1230 (SEQ ID NO:13); or

(h) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1232 (SEQ ID NO:15); or

(i) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1242 (SEQ ID NO:17); or

(j) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1245 (SEQ ID NO:19); or

(k) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1330 (SEQ ID NO:21); or

(l) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1335 (SEQ ID NO:23); or

(m) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1337 (SEQ ID NO:25); or

(n) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1338 (SEQ ID NO:27); or

(o) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1341 (SEQ ID NO:29); or

(p) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1347 (SEQ ID NO:31); or

(q) the variable region of the heavy chain of TRL1361 (SEQ ID NO:33), or mAb or antigen binding fragments that compete for binding DNABII protein with mAb or fragments comprising these variable regions; and in particular wherein

the mAb of (a) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1068 (SEQ ID NO:2); or

the mAb of (b) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1070 (SEQ ID NO:4); or

the mAb of (c) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1087 (SEQ ID NO:6); or

the mAb of (d) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1215 (SEQ ID NO:8); or

the mAb of (e) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1216 (SEQ ID NO:10); or

the mAb of (f) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1218 (SEQ ID NO:12); or

the mAb of (g) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1230 (SEQ ID NO:14); or

the mAb of (h) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1232 (SEQ ID NO:16); or

the mAb of (i) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1242 (SEQ ID NO:18); or

the mAb of (j) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1245 (SEQ ID NO:20); or

the mAb of (k) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1330 (SEQ ID NO:22); or

the mAb of (l) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1335 (SEQ ID NO:24); or

the mAb of (m) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1337 (SEQ ID NO:26); or

the mAb of (m) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1338 (SEQ ID NO:28); or

the mAb of (o) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1341 (SEQ ID NO:30); or

the mAb of (p) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1347 (SEQ ID NO:32); or

the mAb of (q) further comprises the variable region of the light chain of TRL1361 (SEQ ID NO:34), or mAb or antigen binding fragments that compete for binding DNABII protein with mAb or fragments comprising these variable regions.

As shown in Example 2, mAbs have been prepared that bind to a conformational epitope comprised in SEQ ID NO:80.

In other embodiments, the invention includes recombinant expression systems for producing any of the binding moieties listed above in cases wherein said binding moiety is a protein, wherein said expression system comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding said protein operably linked to heterologous control sequences for expression, and the invention also includes recombinant host cells that have been modified to contain these expression systems and methods to prepare any of the proteinaceous binding moieties set forth above which method comprises culturing these cells.

In other embodiments, the invention includes methods to prevent formation of or to dissolve a biofilm associated with an industrial or other non-physiological process which method comprises treating a surface susceptible to or containing a biofilm with any of the binding moieties described above.

The invention further includes methods to prepare an aptamer nucleic acid or nucleic acid mimic which method comprises preparing a nucleic acid or peptide-nucleic acid consisting of 10-25 nucleotides that specifically binds a specific binding partner to any of the monoclonal binding moieties set forth above; especially when the specific binding partner is an epitope of a DNABII protein, and/or said epitope is conserved across at least three bacterial species.

The invention also includes an aptamer nucleic acid or peptide nucleic acid mimic prepared by the foregoing method.

Pharmaceutical or veterinary compositions for treatment in a subject of a condition in said subject characterized by formation of biofilms which comprises as active ingredient the above aptamer in an amount effective to prevent or inhibit or dissolve a biofilm characteristic of said condition said composition further including a suitable pharmaceutical excipient, are also included.

The invention also includes a surface in an industrial or other non-biological setting coated with any of the binding moieties described above or with the above aptamer described.

In another aspect, the invention includes a synthetic compound that mimics the epitope to which TRL1068, TRL1330 or TRL1337, especially TRL1068 or TRL1330 binds, wherein the synthetic compound mimics the conformational epitope contained in SEQ ID NO:80. In some embodiments, the epitope comprises the sequence RNPQT (positions 6-10 of SEQ ID NO:80) from the HU-beta of S. aureus to which TRL1068 binds or that comprises the sequence KGRNPQTGKEI (positions 6-14 of SEQ ID NO:80) from IHF of S. aureus HU-beta to which TRL1330 binds. The invention further includes a method to obtain antisera effective to dissolve biofilm which method comprises immunizing a subject with this synthetic compound and recovering antiserum from said subject, as well as the polyclonal antiserum or monoclonal antibodies derived therefrom obtained from this subject.

The mimics themselves can be verified by their ability to bind to the antibodies of the invention, especially TRL1068, TRL1330, TRL1337 or TRL1361. The mimics then, in turn, may be used to identify binding moieties from libraries of nucleic acids or other molecules that are candidate binding agents, resulting in aptamers or other peptide-based or small molecule-based binding moieties.

The invention also includes a method to treat biofilm-related conditions in a subject, which method comprises administering to said subject the antiserum or these monoclonal antibodies.

The invention is also directed to a method to image a biofilm which method comprises treating the biofilm with a monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof that binds specifically to an epitope within positions 5-20 of SEQ ID NO:76 or positions 5-20 of SEQ ID NO:77 or of SEQ ID NO:78 or to a peptidomimetic of any of these, said antibody conjugated to an observable label, and obtaining an image based on said label, and also includes a method to measure the level of a DNABII protein which method comprises subjecting a sample in which said DNABII protein is to be detected to a sandwich assay in which one antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprising said sandwich binds an epitope within positions 5-20 of SEQ ID NO:76 or positions 5-20 of SEQ ID NO:77 or positions 5-20 of SEQ ID NO:78 and the other antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof in said sandwich binds to an epitope within positions 5-20 of any of SEQ ID NOS:71-75 and 79-80 or to a peptidomimetic of any of these.

The invention includes, specifically an mAb, which mAb is an Fv antibody, a bispecific antibody, a chimeric antibody, species-ized antibody or a complete antibody, wherein said complete antibody comprises generic constant regions heterologous to variable regions, which mAb competes with TRL1335, TRL1338, TRL1341, TRL1347 or TRL1361 for binding to a DNABII protein, in particular wherein the variable region comprises

(a) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1335 (SEQ ID NO:23); or

(b) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1338 (SEQ ID NO:27); or

(c) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1341 (SEQ ID NO:29); or

(d) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1347 (SEQ ID NO:31); or

(e) the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1361 (SEQ ID NO:35), or more specifically

wherein

the mAb of (a) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1335 (SEQ ID NO:24); or

the mAb of (b) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1338 (SEQ ID NO:28); or

the mAb of (c) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1341 (SEQ ID NO:30); or

the mAb of (d) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1347 (SEQ ID NO:32); or

the mAb of (e) further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1361 (SEQ ID NO:34).

The invention also includes recombinant host cells that have been modified to contain a recombinant expression system wherein said expression system comprises one or more nucleotide sequences encoding one of the mAb's set forth above operably linked to one or more heterologous control sequences for expression, and in particular wherein said mAb comprises a variable region encoded by nucleic acid isolated from B cells of a human not immunized with DNABII protein or with a fragment thereof, as well as a method to prepare an mAb that binds a DNABII protein which method comprises culturing these cells.

The invention further includes a method to prevent formation of, or to dissolve a biofilm associated with, a non-physiological process which method comprises treating a surface associated with said process susceptible to, or containing a, biofilm with an effective amount of the foregoing mAbs, and a non-physiological surface coated with one or more of these mAbs. 

1. A monoclonal antibody (mAb), which mAb is an Fv antibody, a bispecific antibody, a chimeric antibody, species-ized antibody or a complete antibody, wherein said complete antibody comprises generic constant regions heterologous to the variable regions thereof, wherein said mAb a) has affinity for at least one DNABII protein that exceeds the affinity of said DNABII protein for components of a biofilm that includes said DNABII protein and binds DNABII protein from at least three bacterial species; and b) binds to a conformational epitope comprised in SEQ ID NO:80.
 2. The mAb of claim 1 wherein the biofilm component is branched DNA, and/or wherein the DNABII protein is IHF or a subunit thereof, or is HU protein or a subunit thereof.
 3. The mAb of claim 1 wherein the variable region thereof is encoded by nucleic acid isolated from B cells of a human not immunized with DNABII protein or with a fragment thereof.
 4. The mAb of claim 3 wherein said B cells are screened by reaction of secreted antibodies with full-length DNABII protein.
 5. The mAb of claim 1 that competes with TRL1068 for binding a DNABII protein.
 6. The mAb of claim 1 wherein the variable region comprises the CDR regions of the heavy chain of TRL1068 (SEQ ID NO:1), of TRL1330 (SEQ ID NO:21) or of TRL1337 (SEQ ID NO:25).
 7. The mAb of claim 6 which further comprises the CDR regions of the light chain of TRL1068 (SEQ ID NO:2), of TRL1330 (SEQ ID NO:22) or of TRL1337 (SEQ ID NO:26).
 8. A pharmaceutical or veterinary composition for treatment in a subject of a condition in said subject characterized by formation of biofilms which comprises as active ingredient the mAb of claim 1 in an amount effective to prevent or inhibit or dissolve a biofilm characteristic of said condition, said composition further including a suitable pharmaceutical excipient.
 9. The pharmaceutical or veterinary composition of claim 8 which further includes at least one antibiotic, and/or which further includes at least one additional active ingredient.
 10. A method to treat a condition in a subject characterized by the formation of a biofilm in said subject which comprises administering to said subject an effective amount of the mAb of claim
 1. 11. An mAb which mAb is an Fv antibody, a bispecific antibody, a chimeric antibody, species-ized antibody or a complete antibody, wherein said complete antibody comprises generic constant regions heterologous to the variable regions thereof, that (a) binds specifically to an epitope within positions 5-20 of any of SEQ ID NOS:71-75 or of SEQ ID NO:79 or positions 1-19 of SEQ ID NO:80 or to a peptidomimetic thereof; or (b) binds to an epitope within positions 5-20 of SEQ ID NO:76 or within positions 5-20 of SEQ ID NO:77 or within positions 5-20 of SEQ ID NO:78 or to a peptidomimetic of any of these.
 12. A method to image a biofilm which method comprises treating said biofilm with a monoclonal antibody or fragment of claim 11(b) said antibody or fragment conjugated to an observable label, and obtaining an image based on said label.
 13. A method to measure the level of a DNABII protein or of a biofilm which method comprises subjecting a sample in which said DNABII protein or biofilm is to be detected to a sandwich assay in which one antibody or antibody-binding fragment is of claim 11(a) and the other antibody in said sandwich is an antibody or fragment of claim 11(b).
 14. Recombinant host cells that have been modified to contain a recombinant expression system for producing an mAb wherein said expression system comprises one or more nucleotide sequences encoding said mAb operably linked to one or more heterologous control sequences for expression wherein said mAb competes with the mAb of claim 6 for binding to a DNABII protein.
 15. The recombinant host cells of claim 14 wherein said mAb comprises a variable region encoded by nucleic acid isolated from B cells of a human not immunized with DNABII protein or with a fragment thereof.
 16. A method to prepare an mAb that binds a DNABII protein which method comprises culturing the cells of claim
 14. 17. A method to prevent formation of, or to dissolve a biofilm associated with, a non-physiological process which method comprises treating a surface associated with said process susceptible to, or containing a, biofilm with an effective amount of the mAb of claim
 1. 18. A non-physiological surface coated with the binding moiety of claim
 1. 19. A synthetic compound that mimics the epitope to which TRL1068 binds, wherein the synthetic compound mimics the conformational epitope comprised in SEQ ID NO:80.
 20. A method to obtain antisera or mAbs effective to dissolve biofilm which method comprises (a) immunizing a subject with the synthetic compound of claim 19 and recovering antiserum from said subject; or (b) detecting B cells in an unimmunized subject that secrete antibodies that bind to a DNABII protein using said synthetic compound as a detection agent.
 21. A method to identify a binding moiety effective in dissolving biofilms which method comprises screening a library of candidate binding moieties using binding to the synthetic compound of claim 19 as a criterion for identifying said binding moiety.
 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the library comprises candidate aptamers or homologous antibody substitutes.
 23. A method to enrich a polyclonal antibody population for antibodies that compete with TRL1068 for binding to a DNABII protein which method comprises contacting said population with the compound of claim 19 and recovering antibodies that bind to said compound.
 24. A pharmaceutical or veterinary composition for treatment in a subject of a condition in said subject characterized by formation of biofilms which comprises as active ingredient the compound of claim 19 in an amount effective to elicit antibodies to prevent or inhibit or dissolve a biofilm characteristic of said condition, said composition further including a suitable pharmaceutical excipient.
 25. The pharmaceutical or veterinary composition of claim 24 which further includes at least one antibiotic, and/or which further includes at least one additional active ingredient.
 26. A method to treat a condition in a subject characterized by the formation of a biofilm in said subject which method comprises administering to said subject an effective amount of the composition of claim
 24. 